CHAPTER XIII An Indian Love Song
Although Polly O'Neill could never afterwards be persuaded that herfailure had not marred the Camp Fire play, nevertheless there were manymembers of the audience who never realized that anything had gone wrong,so promptly had the other girls acted and so swiftly had the curtain beenrung down.
And then, within a remarkably short space of time, Esther had reappearedto close the entertainment with her song. The stage had been left as itwas in the final act, the piano was already there, and almost immediatelythe accompanist, Esther's music teacher in the village, seated herselfbefore it.
The only delay was of a few minutes, caused by the fact that Esther hadinsisted on wearing her ordinary clothes. A week before, therefore, Bettyhad had made for her a simple white dress and this Miss McMurtry veryquickly helped her into, braiding her red hair into a kind of crown abouther head. Her toilet was of course made in a great hurry, but then Estherwas so convinced of her own homeliness that she cared very little exceptto look neatly and appropriately dressed.
Herr Crippen and Esther then walked out on the platform together, the manleading the girl with one hand and carrying his violin with the other,and it was curious the similarity in their coloring.
Very little of the Indian idea had the girls thus far brought into theirChristmas Camp Fire entertainment, but now Esther's song was to bringwith it this suggestion, although it had been chosen chiefly because ofits beauty and suitability to Esther's voice. It was, however, awonderful Indian love song, which Dick had found quite by accident thesummer before for his sister's friend.
Esther was also dreadfully nervous and frightened at the beginning of hersong, but fortunately for her she was thinking more of the music itselfthan of the effect she was to produce. Nevertheless, it was withsensations of disappointment that the friends, who cared most for hersinging, listened to the first verse of her song. Dick Ashton, who hadfound himself a seat in the back of the room, when he was no longerneeded to assist with the management of the curtain, moved impatientlyseveral times, thinking that Betty had probably been making unnecessarysacrifices to cultivate her friend's voice and that they had all probablybeen mistaken in the degree of Esther's talent.
However, Dick changed his mind so soon that he never afterwardsremembered this first thought, but sat spellbound with delight, feelingevery nerve in his body thrill and quiver with the pathos and lovelinessof a voice that was so clear, so true and so sympathetic that not asingle member of Esther's audience failed to respond to its beauty. Thesong had a kind of plaintive cadence and had been arranged either for atenor or soprano.
"Fades the star of morning, west winds gently blow, Soft the pine trees murmur, soft the waters flow. Lift thine eyes, my maiden, to the hill-tops nigh, Night and gloom will vanish when the pale stars die. Lift thine eyes, my maiden, hear thy lover's cry.
"From my tent I wander seeking only thee, As the day from darkness comes for stream and tree. Lift thine eyes, my maiden, to the hill-top nigh; Lo! the dawn is breaking, rosy beams the sky. Lift thine eyes, my maiden, hear thy lover's cry.
"Lonely is our valley, though the month is May, Come and be my moonlight, I will be thy day. Lift thine eyes, my maiden, oh, behold me nigh; Now the sun is rising, now the shadows fly. Lift thine eyes, my maiden, hear thy lover's cry."
Hearing the applause which broke out like a storm at the close ofEsther's singing, Betty managed to get away from Polly and to find Esthershivering in the kitchen which opened just off their stage and had beenused for the entrance way that evening. But no power or persuasion couldhave induced Esther to go back upon the stage, not even when Herr Crippenadded his entreaties, nor when Dick slipped out into the cold and camearound through the back door to congratulate her. If Esther had pleasedBetty and Dick and Miss McMurtry, really she cared very little for anyone else's criticism.
Nevertheless, later that evening, when the company was enjoying a kind ofinformal reception, she could not refuse to be introduced to thecelebrated Miss Margaret Adams, who sent one of the girls especially forher. Esther was awkward and tongue-tied and nervous as usual when thegreat lady congratulated her, very different from Polly, who when she hadrecovered from her faintness had come immediately out into the livingroom and gone straight up to Miss Adams and taken her hand.
"If I wasn't so used to failing at most of the important moments of mylife, I think I couldn't bear to live after to-night," she said withcharacteristic Polly exaggeration. Then, with one of the sudden smilesthat so transformed her face and made her fascinating both to strangersand friends she added: "But, after all, I have seen _you_ and I amtalking to you now, and as that is the most wonderful thing that has everhappened to me, I am going to try and not care about anything else."
Then the older woman pressed Polly's hot hand in both of hers, lookingkeenly into the girl's expressive face. Only she knew how much Polly didcare about her failure and also that her suffering had not yet fullybegun, because until the excitement of the evening was well over the girlwould not fully realize all that she at least believed this failuremeant.
"Come and see me for half an hour to-morrow, I can judge nothing byto-night. And do please remember, child, that one person's judgment inthis world fortunately does not count for much at best. I want to have alittle talk with you just because my cousin, whom I love very dearly, hastold me so much about you."
"And because," Polly added with her lips trembling, "because you aresorry for me. But I don't care so much why you want me, I only know Iwant to come more than anything in the world."
Of course at the close of the Camp Fire play it was then impossible forMiss Adams to escape recognition, so she was evidently tired on her wayback home from the cabin and therefore did little talking. However, afterthe cousins had undressed for the night she called softly into the nextroom:
"My dear Mary, I think your Polly is charming, but I am afraid yourlittle girl has the dream and the temperament and that the other plainergirl has the talent. But, then, who can tell when they are both soyoung?"